Williams feeling, playing like his old self

When defensive coordinator Ted Cottrell was asked Thursday to assess the performance of Jamal Williams in last week’s win at Oakland, he didn’t have to think long.

“That’s the best game he’s played since I’ve been here,” Cottrell said. “That was the difference in our run defense. He gave them a lot of problems.”

Williams was credited with six tackles and a half sack as Oakland, who entered the game ranked third in the NFL in rushing offense, gained just 72 yards on 23 carries.

“It was a good start,” Williams said. “I’m feeling better each week and hopefully playing better.”

Williams missed a significant amount of time during training camp after having both of his knees “cleaned out” this offseason. He has started all four games this season and has felt okay about his play, but believes he’ll improve as the season goes along.

“You always feel like you can do better,” Williams said. “I’m battling, always giving it all I’ve got. Last week was pretty good, but I’ve got a big challenge on my hands this weekend.”

That challenge is Dolphins second-year center Samson Satele, who Williams has a lot of respect for.

“These first three games, he’s gone against Vince Wilfork (Patriots), Kris Jenkins (Jets) and Darnell Dockett (Arizona) and played really well against all three,” Williams said. “He’s a young guy who is really doing some good things out there. He fires off the ball and is strong. I’ve got to be on my game this week.”

Injury update

Four of the five Chargers who missed Wednesday’s practice were back on the field Thursday. Guard Mike Goff (knee) and tight end Antonio Gates (hip) fully participated, while Williams (knee) and fullback Mike Tolbert (ankle) were limited.

Linebacker Jyles Tucker missed a second consecutive day of practice due to a hamstring injury.

“(Tucker is) the guy that’s the furthest away,” Head Coach Norv Turner said.
Miami is coming off their bye and listed no players on their report.

Clutch performer

If Tucker is unable to play Sunday, Marques Harris would start in his place, and Harris will see plenty of action regardless.

An interesting note on Harris, five of his 6.5 career sacks have come in the fourth quarter. Following three of those, the Chargers have either tied the game or taken a lead on their next drive.

Last week, Harris’ sack and forced fumble against JaMarcus Russell set up a LaDainian Tomlinson touchdown run that gave the Bolts their first lead of the day.

Beat the heat

Playing in Miami early in the year often means dealing with the heat and humidity, and the Chargers will certainly battle the elements this weekend. Quarterback Philip Rivers believes his team will be ready to handle the conditions as temperatures are expected to be in the mid 80’s at kickoff.

“Fortunately we’ve kind of had a hot month of September here in San Diego,” Rivers said. “That’s been good. We’ve been practicing in the heat. It’s key to stay hydrated. It’s probably more of a mental thing than anything. You can beat anything for three and a half hours. It shouldn’t be a problem.”

In the NFL, the home team has the opportunity to choose which jersey they’ll wear, and like the Raiders did last week, the Dolphins opted for the cooler white jerseys this week. The Chargers will again wear their navy blue jerseys.

There’s a chance the Chargers will need to bring their raincoats this weekend as well. In addition to the heat, there’s a 40 percent chance of thunderstorms forecasted in South Florida this weekend.

Milestone ahead

Running back LaDainian Tomlinson enters this weekend needing just 54 rushing yards to reach 11,000 for his career. This Sunday will be LT’s 115th game of his career, and if he reaches the 11,000 yard mark against the Dolphins, he’ll equal Barry Sanders’ mark as the third-fastest player in NFL history to rush for 11,000 yards.